Alice
by AmiThePanda
Summary: Alice was a normal teenage girl who lived with her small family in California. She still believes in magic and spirits, even at the age of sweet 16. Her life has always been quite boring, always waiting for something to happen. Until one fateful night, she has an unexpected encounter in the forest; problem is, she never knew how dangerous things would get in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! First I just want to say that, even though this isn't my first story, it _is_ the first one I do in english, and first one for RoTG. I'm still a bit rusty with my english, so if you notice any grammar errors, please bear with me. I'm still working on other two stories for Shaman King (my favorite anime, I totally recommend it), though I'm putting more focus in just one of those, so I might have a bit of trouble keeping up with the three at the same time... so please, be patient****. I already advanced with the second and third chapter... or maybe it will all be in one chapter, I just don't know. Anywaaay... please enjoy!**

"Normal dialog"

_'Thoughts'_

(Alice's personal note or opinion on something)

* * *

**Chapter 1: "Alice in Gameland"**

Hi there, I'm Alice Rosewood.

Before I begin, let me tell you about myself.

I'm currently 16 years old. I live with both of my parents, my older brother and our cat, Bella, in a somewhat calm town of San Diego, California. I've always been the most 'spoiled' one out of the two of us (my brother and I), but I've never acted like one. In fact, I hate it. My brother would be left out on whatever it is my parents planned for me, and he would be mad at us for that. That was all in the past, though, because now we are closer than ever… but he still loves to make me miserable (because is his 'job as an older brother', he says).

I have straight, brown hair, which I inherited from my mother; the front reaches a bit past my chin and it gets shorter in the back (recently, I decided to add some red highlights… something my father didn't like very much). I have hazel eyes that are a baby blue nearing the center; the hazel color comes from my dad, but none of them knows where the blue color came from.

Favorite colors: White, black, red, and blue (a bit contradicting, if I think about it…). I _hate_ color pink by itself; it's okay when it's combined with other colors, and used in a tolerable quantity… but on its own… my eyes bleed.

Favorite season: winter! Because 'the cold never bothered me anyway'. It never snows here, but if it did, I would be the happiest person in planet Earth.

I love animals! My favorites are: wolves, cats, and birds. Fun fact: based in a quiz I answered recently, my spirit animal is a wolf (no wonder why I'm always so protective over my loved ones; that, and I'm a loner).

I'm usually a really serious and quiet person in school, an introvert. Because of that, I have a few to no friends in class; but that's fine with me, I prefer to have just a couple of friends in which I can truly trust, than a whole lot of double-faced people to stab me in the back… I say that because it has happened before, and I do _not_ want a repeat of that. Those few who really know me, know that I'm still a kid from the heart; if you ask my closer friends, they'll tell you I'm like a mother to them, always looking out for them and keeping them out of trouble. And even with that, I can be quite a childish prankster.

I think I should also mention that I have a boyfriend. His name is Nathan; he's half a year older than me and he's very popular in school. He doesn't like much the way I think and his friends hate me, but he's still a really sweet guy when he wants to be.

Oh, I also have a YouTube channel! I go by the name "Alice in Gameland" and, as the name suggests, I do gameplays most of the time. Other times, I play violin or to a simple Vlog. I'm not as popular as, say, Danisnotonfire, or AmazingPhil, or PewDiePie, or Markiplier… but I have a nice number of fans that like me for who I really am, and I'm happy with that.

I'm quite a prodigy in school, what with the highest scores of my class and all. I'm really bad at sports, but I'm the best in academic stuff and the fastest woman alive when typing on a computer.

Consider me a geek; I love Japanese culture in general and I _love_ videogames just as much. I also like reading, writing and drawing. I also love music, knowing how to play the piano and the violin, and singing and dancing as well.

And speaking of music, my brother is part of a group called _"The One-Winged Angels"_, which consists of: my brother Leon (guitarist /leader of the group), Zack (drummer/Leon's best friend/our "adopted brother"), Roxanne (keyboardist/Zack's girlfriend), Zoelle (cellist/sometimes singer/second in lead), and their newest addition, Claire (flute/sometimes singer/my best friend). There's also their manager, Roy, who sometimes plays the tambourine with the rest of the group. He was friends with my parents, so when he found out that my brother wanted to create a band, he was more than happy to help with that. Now, you may wonder: _Why are you not part of the group, if you can play violin and piano?_ Well, I was already getting to that!

You see, Roy found a great opportunity for The One-Winged Angels! There's a café/theater that needs a group to play for them. Luckily, Roy was there to meet up with the owner and tell him about certain group. After a long conversation and getting into an agreement about the future payment, the owner got himself a group and The One-Winged Angels got a stage to play their music. Cool, right? Well, guess what? The café is in _Burgess,_ in _freaking Pennsylvania_! You have _any idea_ of just how far away that is?! So, as you probably have guessed, my brother and his group will have to move to Burgess in order start with their job, and then celebrate it with an audition to add another member. I don't want him to go; he's the only one in this house who actually understands me! Don't get me wrong, I love my parents; but my mother sometimes spoils me too much and my father pressures me a lot, always yelling at me over the smallest things.

Actually, just this morning, I've been discussing with Leon the possibility of me going with him to Burgess. I wanted to audition, and both my parents (surprisingly) didn't have any problem with that. Want me to tell you how that turned out?

* * *

"I said _no!_" well, that sums it up.

"But, _why_?!"

He sighed, obviously annoyed. "First: you are _not_ part of the group; second: you still have school, unlike the rest of us; and third: why the hell would I want to take care of you?!"

I visibly flinched at the last part. "Ouch. That really hurt, you know?" I murmured with my eyes downcast while my brother packed his clothes.

"Well too bad for you, 'cause I said _no_, and that's final!" he said, slamming the door in my face and leaving me standing there, gaping like a goldfish.

I recovered quickly, and my shock quickly turned into a mix of anger and sadness.

"Fine, then! You go and have fun with your friends while I _rot _in this damn place!" I yelled back at him, turning around and storming to my room.

Once inside, I locked the door and grabbed a backpack under my bed. In it, I put my cellphone, my sketchbook, a pencil, and a green hoodie. I looked back at my bed, and picked up a stuffed wolf my brother gave me when I was little. I know, it's weird that a 16 years old girl sleeps hugging a stuffed animal, but that's the one thing I treasure most from my childhood. I put it in the backpack along with the other things. Lastly, I looked in my drawer and found my pocketknife. While looking at it, I absentmindedly traced the scars in my left arm, going from my forearm to almost reaching my wrist. And before you ask, yes, I did that to myself. I don't plan on getting into detail about that, so I'll just continue on with the story.

I put on my combat boots and, after grabbing both my backpack and my violin case, got out of my room and into the living room, where my father was watching a movie.

"Alice, where are you going?" asked my father, when he noticed my backpack over my shoulder and the violin case in the opposite hand.

"Uhh, to Claire's" I answered.

My father sighed. "Alright, just be careful"

"As always" I said with a smirk.

"Say 'hi' to Claire and her mother for me!" yelled my mom from the kitchen.

"Will do!" I yelled back, grabbing my keys and opening the door.

I lied when I said I was going to Claire's, but if I told them where I was really going, they wouldn't let me stay too late.

There's a small forest near my neighborhood, and I usually go there to clear my mind whenever I'm stressed or mad; in this case, the latter.

I reach my favorite tree, set my things down, and sit with my back to the bark. I take in a few deep breaths, enjoying the calm and quiet of my surroundings.

"Hmm… maybe I'll even get to see a fairy today!" I said to myself, feeling a bit optimistic all of a sudden.

You see, I always believed in Magic; in a world full of light and wonder. Ever since I can remember, I believed that magic itself was real, and that it had always been here, in this world. Even now, being 16 years old, I still believe. My mother always told me that magic can only be seen by those that believe in it; the same goes for spirits, fairies, ghosts, even angels and demons! Usually, those _believers_ tend to be children, since adults think more rationally and give more attention to the material world they live in, instead of the spiritual and magical world that surrounds them. I always thought that, if I believe, I'll be able to see it, so I never give up on those beliefs. My father already told me to 'grow up', even my brother did a couple of times; but, so what? I don't care what they think, I'll never stop believing.

This is mainly the reason for my lack of friends, but then again, I don't mind it at all.

I pass the rest of the day drawing trees and birds that occasionally fly by, playing a few songs on the violin, and just plain out _thinking._ When I least expect it, it's already nighttime.

'_Shit, I better get home' _I thought to myself.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and grab my violin case, only for the latter to drop back down when I look back up.

Passing through the trees, I see golden streams of light going to different directions, some even passing near me.

"What is this?" I ask out loud to no one in particular. One circles around me and I touch it. "Is this… sand?!" just then, this mysterious sand took the form of a small dragon. "Wow! This is _so cool!_" I say out loud again, while the dragon flies to my shoulder and rubs its face on my cheek. I swear I heard it purr like a cat. "Aw~! You are so _cute!_" it flies off and transforms itself back to its original form.

I sigh contently, and take my violin case again. "I hope you can give me some nice dreams, Sandman. I could seriously use the help" I say quietly, smiling slightly.

However, once I turn and take a single step, I hear some rustling behind me. When I turn around (_again_), I'm greeted with a real surprise.

* * *

**~Miyu~**

**Gotta love cliffhangers!... even if they are as crappy as this one owo Just wanna say, sorry for this chapter being so... boring. I promise, these next two chapters will be a bit more exciting!**

**I'll read y'all in the next chapter (that I'll most likely post tomorrow)!**


	2. Chapter 2

**... Hi *dodges arrow bomb* okay okay, I know I took a _really_ long time to update this story (not just this one, actually), but... you want a reason? I know school shouldn't be too much of a problem for me seeing as my grades are still quite high and all that good jazz, but I've been emotionally exhausted since the beginning of this year and... well, I had to make little time to myself to meditate on what to do, and to get my sh*t straight. Thus, here you have me after a long time! Don't get me wrong, I love writing this kind of stories and honestly, I have really high hopes for this one, so from now on (specially since I'm almost done with the semester and summer vacation is just around the corner) I'll try my very best to update this story more often, please bear with me for the time being! Also, a word for my reviewers:**

**Hatsunation: well... to be honest the first time I read over your review, I was slightly angry. I thought it was at the review itself, but then I started thinking, and I was actually mad at myself for getting carried away with my OC. It tends to happen to me when I write: once I get an idea, I keep going and going and end up exceeding a limit; that's exactly what happened to me at the moment of writing about Alice. I wanted it to be brief and simple, and ended up making a long biography that covered for 95% of my first chapter for this story... yeah, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. And about Alice herself, well... I don't think it's time to make her go through the Mary Sue test. She's still a new character and I know she'll become a more developed character as the story progresses; I would like to write about her as if writing about myself, because it makes it easier for me to think of what to do next, or what will her connections be with other characters (either OC or canon). I'll accept it now, I have my own 'Mary Sue moments', but I'll try to keep them out of this story. So thank you, I guess, for the review. If there's other things you'd like to help me with, I would gladly accept the help (I could use some advice right now).**

**tokyoghoul234: thank you for liking the first chapter! Next time I'll try to update sooner.**

**Angelica Felicity Brice: First of all- OMG, Felicity Smoak!... secondly... please, don't spontaneously combust yourself!**

**... okay, I guess I covered everything that needed to be said. Without further ado, please enjoy the _second_ chapter for "Alice"!**

**~Miyu Mizuki... nope, scratch that, I'll be changing my name anytime soon.**

"Normal dialog"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Sandman's dialog" _**(most likely for me to change that, or it could get confused with thoughts or normal dialog)**.

(note or opinion on something, depending on the PoV).

* * *

**Chapter 2: "Sweet dreams"**

There, in front of me, was a curious looking guy.

He's short and… golden. Seriously, everything about him is golden: his hair, his clothes, his eyes, even his _skin_! His hair is spiked up and his clothes look like they are made with the same golden sand I saw earlier. He's just standing there, smiling at me, while I'm looking at him with a 'wtf-is-happening' face.

"W-Who are you?!" I ask, still surprised by the sudden appearance.

He looks confused, searching around to see if I asked someone else. He notices he _is_ the only one there (besides me) and points at himself, like saying 'are you talking to _me_?'

"Yes, I am asking _you_, so let me repeat myself: Who. Are. You?" Once he got over the initial shock, weird images appear over his head, but they are so fast I can barely understand their meaning. "Woah, stop that!" he made the pictures disappear. "Can you talk?" he shook his head no. "Okay, so I suppose _that_ was your way of answering my question, right?" he nodded with a smile. I sighed. "Well, this will be more complicated than I thought…"

An imaginary light-bulb lighted up on in my mind. "Wait, can you write?" he looked slightly confused, but nodded nonetheless. "Great!" I grinned and searched for my sketchbook and pencil in my backpack. "Bingo! Here, take this" I handed him my sketchbook (already on a blank page, of course) and my pencil. "That way, I can understand what you are trying to say!" I smiled at him, a smile he returned with a nod.

"Okay, sooo…. Same question: who are you?" I asked calmly and noticed he started writing. He finished quickly and turned the sketchbook so I could read the answer.

"_I'm the Sandman, but I would prefer it if you called me Sandy"_ it read.

"Wait a minute, you're saying you are Sandman? As in... _The_ Sandman?!" I asked, and he nodded with a wider smile. "So, the golden sand I saw earlier… was it yours?" he nodded again, still smiling. "Prove it!" he nodded and made some of his golden sand appear, taking many forms.

"Wow! I _knew _it, you _are real_! I _so_ knew it!" I smiled brightly, feeling like a little kid again. Then I thought of something. "Well, Sandy, I'm Alice Rosewood. Nice to meet you!" he tipped a sand hat over his head and I giggled at that. "Wait, if you are real… who _else_ is real? Could you please tell me?" he nods before he starts writing again. It takes a bit of time until he's done. "Woah, they are a _lot_!" I say in awe, reading all of the names in Sandy's list. "Mother Nature, Father Time, Cupid, Jinx, April Fool, Groundhog, Leprechaun… a Rain Spirit? Well, didn't know about that one! Uhm… Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost… why are those four underlined?"

He takes the sketchbook from my hands and writes something in a blank border. _"They are my friends and fellow Guardians of Childhood"_ it reads. "Guardians? What do you mean by that?" he starts writing in a new page.

"_We are called Guardians of Childhood because we protect the children who believe in us; we protect their dreams, memories, hope, wonder and fun, because without them, we wouldn't even exist"_

"Wow, that's deep" I sigh. "So if all the kids stopped believing in you, you would disappear?" he nodded, slightly sad. He then started writing again.

"_But you are the first teen believer we ever had, so I think we will be alright"_ wait, what? "I am?" he nodded. "Well… my mom always told me that, in order to see the magic, I had to believe first. So I never stopped believing, even though I got laughed at because of that" I smiled and he smiled back.

Then I remembered. "Oh no, I have to go home _now_! My mom will go _crazy_ if I stay any longer" he laughed silently and wrote, _"That's okay, go back home. I'll make sure you get a peaceful dream"_

"He he, I know you will" I smiled. "You think you could, I don't know… show me an adventure you had with your friends? That way, I can understand all this guardian stuff better" he nodded smiling. "And… well…" an interrogation sign made of sand appeared over his head.

I sigh. "My brother is supposed to go to Burgess with his band in a couple of days, and I've been trying hard to convince him to let me go with them, but…" I sigh sadly. "Do you think… I don't know, could you _please_ give me some help with that?" he looked to be thinking hard on that, then he smiled and nodded happy. "Really?! Thank you!" I say happily and kneel at his level to hug him. He looked surprised at first, but then he smiled and patted my head. When I pulled back, he gave me a thumb up.

I giggled. "Well, I better go! Thanks again!" I tell him, taking back my sketchbook and pencil and putting them in the backpack. "Can I see you again tomorrow? This same place" he nodded. "Okay, see ya'!" He waved and I waved back, making my way back home.

When I got back, my parents appeared to be oblivious to the fact that I went to the woods instead of going to Claire's house. I wished them a good night and went to my room.

I immediately changed into my pajamas and turned off the lights to sleep early. I snuggled in my bed covers and watched as dream sand entered my room. I giggled slightly and yawned as the dream sand started having its effects on me. I smiled, closing my eyes, and allowed myself to drift into and adventure of four guardians and a winter spirit, to defeat the king of nightmares.

**? PoV**

"Woohooo~!" I yell while I let the wind take me back to the North Pole. Today was a great day; while on my weekly visit to Burgess, I found a familiar group of kids playing on the snow and decided to go to them and say 'hi'… and with 'hi', I meant to say I threw a snowball at a certain boy's face: Jamie Bennett, my first believer. When he noticed me, he, along with his friends, came to give me a hug. After the emotional moment was over, we started a snowball fight! We had _so much fun!_ But of course, I had to go early to spread winter and fun to other parts of the world. Right now is past midnight, and I'm on my way back to North's workshop to finally get some rest; I think I heard him say that the others would be going, too! Well, you know what that means: time to have some fun with the kangaroo!

When I finally got to the Globe Room, I was greeted by Tooth flying towards me.

"Hello, Jack!" she smiles at me. "Did you visit Jamie?"

"Yeah, I did" I tell her, smiling back at her. "Hey, where's Bunny? I thought he would've gotten here earlier than me"

As if on cue, a tunnel appeared on the ground a few feet away from us; from the tunnel, Bunny hopped out.

"What took you so long, kangaroo? We were talking about you just now!" I said, sending a smirk his way.

His ears twitched. _'Hah! Bull's eye'. _"How many times have we been through this? Stop calling me kangaroo, mate!" he yelled, glaring daggers at me.

"Aw, but it's so fun to joke around with you!"

"Well, to _me__,_ it isn't!"

"And what are you gonna do about it, kangaroo?"

"Oh, I'll _show y__a_ what I'm goin' to do, ya' little-"

"ENOUGH!" a booming voice interrupts our fight. _'Aw, this was just getting interesting!'_ I almost pout at that thought, but I just grin towards the owner of the voice.

"Nice to see you, North!" I tell him, being able to hear Bunny mutter something under his breath.

"Ha ha! Nice to see you too, Jack!" he replies with his thick Russian accent, patting me on the back. "How's Jamie doing?"

"He's good, just busy with school"

"And I suppose you gave him snow day, hmm?" he looks at me with a knowing smile.

I chuckled nervously. "Maybe…"

"Hah! Is okay, then! I'm sure Jamie needs rest" at his words, I let out a relieved sigh.

"Wait, where's Sandy?" at Tooth's question, we all finally notice the absence of the small spirit.

"Weird, he's usually here early" I barely finish my sentence when we all see a familiar golden airplane coming through the open window.

"Ah, Sandy! Good to see you!" North says, receiving a smile and a waving hand from Sandy.

"What took you so long, mate? We were startin' to worry that you got caught in a storm or something"

Sandy laughs silently at that and starts signing his answer. By spending more time with him, I've learned to understand what he's saying (though, it's still kinda hard sometimes).

"_I'm fine, sorry to keep you waiting. I was having a curious conversation with a believer"_

"Really? Who was it? Oh, was it a girl?!" Tooth starts asking quickly, while I catch Baby Tooth face-palming from the corner of my eye.

"_Yes, it was a girl, but she was a _teenager_! Of Jack's eternal age, if I remember correctly"_

'_A girl my age?!'._ "_Shostakovich!_ Is this true?! A teen believer?" Sandy nodded. "Did she give a name? Maybe I can see if she's in nice list" Sandy nodded again and wrote over his head.

"_Alice Rosewood"_

Immediately, North called a yeti (Phil, if I'm not mistaken) to bring him his two lists. Some minutes later, Phil was back with two heavy-looking books. _'So those are the naughty and nice lists, huh?'_

"Let's search naughty list first, da?" when he turned the first page, I wasn't surprised to see my name at the very top of the page.

"Yes, I still hold the record!" I grin and fist pump.

"I don't really think you should be proud of that, mate" Bunny says, but I just ignore him.

I didn't even notice North already got to the last pages of the list, until he slammed it shut (making Bunny jump out of surprise).

"Well, nice list it is!" North then turns the first page and- "Aha! Alice Rosewood, one of the highest records in nice list!"

"Really?" I go to stand right next to North.

"Oh, let me see!" Tooth flies up to us, staying right above me.

Bunny sighed. "That's a relief, I feared the Sheila would be a bloody show-pony like this one here" he said, nodding his head at me. _'Hey!'_

"Alright, let's see…" North slid his index finger across her name and it started glowing.

"Woah!" I had to shield my eyes from the sudden eyes and, when it stopped glowing, all the other names in that page disappeared and were replaced with other information. At the top of the page appeared the picture of a girl with short brown hair and hazel/blue eyes. She was smiling slightly, but wide enough to see her front teeth.

"Is that her, Sandy?" Sandy nodded in confirmation.

"Her smile is so cute!" Tooth flies closer to the picture to get a better look at her teeth. The rest of us focused on the information about her.

"_Alice Rosewood._

_Age__: 16._

_Born__: November 11__th__, 1998._

_Favorite colors__: White, black, red, and blue._

_Favorite animals__: Wolves, cats, birds, and rabbits._

_Likes__: Music, videogames, drawing, reading, writing, winter, cute animals, spending time with her older brother, honest people._

_Dislikes__: Liars, bullies, color pink, spiders, snakes, dark places, places with a lot of people, girly girls, people who talk too much._

_Other facts:_

_-Lives with both of her parents and her older brother._

_-Has a cat named Bella._

_-Straight A student._

_-Quiet nature._

_-Talented at playing violin and piano._

_-Talented at drawing._

_-A really shy girl._

_Recent problems:_

_-Use of foul language._

_-Depression.__"_

Wait, depression?

"Well… seems like an interesting Sheila to me" Bunny says, breaking the silence.

"Her smile is so cute! I want to meet her!" Tooth said, twirling in mid-air, making Sandy and I laugh slightly (of course, Sandy didn't make any sound other than jingling bells).

"Well, Sandy? Is she nice?" North asked. Sandy nodded and pictures started appearing.

"_Yes, she is"_ he turned to Tooth. _"And I think you can meet her, soon"_

"Really?!" Tooth asked excitedly.

"_I'll meet up with her tomorrow night, at the same place we did some hours ago. She wanted to know about you guys, I gave her a dream about the last time we fought Pitch"_

"You did _what_?!" Bunny looked shocked at Sandy. "Mate, if she'd been a spy to one of those dark spirits lurking around, we could've been in serious trouble!"

'_But even then, I knew she wasn't'_

"How can you be so sure about that?!"

"_Because of her eyes!"_

"Her eyes?" I interjected, stopping the kangaroo from saying anything else. I wanted them to stop bickering, but I was also curious about what he was talking about.

"_Most children hold a special light in their hearts; a light that slowly grows dimmer the older they grow. When you look into a kid's eyes, you can see that spark of light full of wonder and hope"_

"We already know, Sandy; but, what about her eyes?" North asked, _finally_ saying something after a long moment of silence.

"_The spark in her eyes was still shining brightly, even brighter than Jamie's!"_

A collective gasp was heard from the other guardians, but remained silent, still curious about that girl.

"_We only talked a little, but I can tell you that Amy is a special girl. If the need had to come, she could even be a new guardian, herself!"_

"Shh, don't jinx it, mate!" Bunny scolded him. "Y'know how hard it was to keep up this peace for almost _three_ _years_?!"

"_I know that, sorry"_

"You said you're gonna meet her tomorrow, right?" he nodded. "Can I come with you?" I asked. Hey, don't judge me! I just want to meet the first teen to believe in us!

"Jack, I don't think that's a good idea" North told me.

"Aw, but why?" I literally pouted this time.

"Because you'll make the Sheila an annoying brat like you, that's why!" Bunny said, and I just stuck out my tongue at him.

"But, seriously, why can't I go?"

"_Because snow doesn't fall in the town she lives in. Sure, there are hailstorms from time to time, but snow is a completely different thing"_

"Come on! I promise I won't freeze anything and-and I won't hit anyone with a snowball, and-and I won't make a mess of things! Please, can I go~?" _'Puppy eyes for the win!'_

"Frostbite, are you really making a puppy face?!" Bunny asked, trying to hold his laughter. I shot some ice at him and smirked as I heard a surprised 'Crikey!' from him.

"Sorry Jack, but no means no" North said sternly, then his serious face went back to his jolly look. "But if you already done with spreading snow, how about you visit Jamie and his friends again?"

I beamed at him. _'Finally, I can rest and spend time with Jamie!' _"Sounds great!" then I turned to Sandy. "I still want to be updated on what's going on, okay?"

Sandy only answers me with a thumbs-up and a lazy smile.

"Oh! I need to get back to the Tooth Palace, there's something I need to get done before I can go with you, Sandy" Tooth said, starting to fly towards the window I came in from. "I'll see you guys later!" aaaand now she's gone.

"I've to go too, mate. Easter's only in a few months and those eggs won't paint themselves" Bunny taps the ground with his foot and jumps through the tunnel he just made. _'Technically… they actually can'_

"_While I would like to stay here, there's still some countries that need dream sand"_

"Then I'll go with you, Sandy! It wouldn't hurt to give some snow to a few places" I give Sandy a grin, before turning to North "I know you're gonna be busy checking out the toys and making sure the elves don't set anything on fire" I chuckle and North laughs loudly at my comment.

"Good luck, my friends!"

And with that, Sandy created his sand cloud and floated upwards, me following just a few ways behind.

I guess things a changing for the better since _that_ time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! I know I'm taking so long to update this story (worse with my other two stories), but I had quite a severe writer's block, without much idea of how to even start the chapter, but some days ago I had a moment of inspiration and just yesterday finished writing this. It may be a bit short, but if I continued with the next part I have in mind then it would have been longer than I wanted it. And worry not, because I'm writing the next one as I'm publishing this! Yay! :D ... ahem, so in another things, regarding this chapter and maybe the story and my OCs in general... sorry if their mood changes seem too forced, or maybe ****exaggerated. However, I created this characters basing them on my real-life family (and of course, Alice being yours truly), so I try to picture the way we would all react in certain situations. Alice (I) may seem Mary-sueish, but that's basically how I am: I'm often very calm and serious about things, but with people close to me (like in this case, my family)and when talking about things I'm passionate about, I tend to get a bit (actually, too damn much) emotional. Like, sinceriously, my brother already told me I'm a crybaby and my mom is already used to my sudden crying, lol. I blame hormones... and puberty... and lack of chocolate this couple of weeks...**

**Anyway, please enjoy this chapter while I advance in the next one! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 3: "A change for the better"**

Next morning I woke up well-rested and with a lifted mood. Wow, that dream was _amazing!_ And to think it all really happened almost three years ago… that even explains why I'd those recurring nightmares every single night before Easter.

After I stretched my arms and back with a satisfying (but still painful) _snap_, I started my usual morning routine: making my bed, taking a shower and going downstairs to see what my mom was doing for breakfast. When I was halfway down the stairs, the most wonderful and delicious smell filled my nostrils.

"BACON!" I got down faster and basically _flew_ to the kitchen, to see my mom already getting the bacon strips out of the stove and to a paper towel to take off the exceeding grease.

"Yes, bacon" she chuckled lightly. She always found it funny how, unlike a lot of girls my age, I have great love for meat (more if we are talking about bacon), and at the same time a great aversion to veggies. 'A family trait from your grandfathers', she told me.

Once she got off enough of the grease, she served the bacon on three plates for her, my brother (who was still sleeping) and me. She served hers with some scrambled eggs, my Leon's also with scrambled eggs and some ham, and mine with a simple sunny-side up. Meanwhile, I served myself a glass of orange juice and added some water. Mom got herself a cup of coffee with some cream and sugar and sat herself across from me, the plates in front of us.

She watched me silently while I wolfed down the bacon and gulped down my juice, all the while she was silent eating her own breakfast calmly.

When I was done eating, she finally spoke. "Are you going to talk about what happened yesterday?"

"It was nothing, really, I just…" she gave me that look that said 'don't you dare lie to me, missy' and I sighed. "Okay, you win. I got mad at Leon for not letting me go with him and his band and went to my usual spot in the forest nearby"

She sighed "Ali, you know it's dangerous to go there alone, especially when it's getting dark-"

"I know, mom, I _do_ know that… it's just that, you know how much I've waited for an opportunity like this, one I could share with him! You already know that! Heck, _he_ knows that too, because I said that to him yesterday! But nooo, he had to go back on grumpy mode with me and reply with a hurtful comment, so I got frustrated and mad and-" mom interrupted my ramble with a hand over my mouth and a stern (yet soft) look.

"Sweetie, I know how much you've waited for this, and I understand that you want to prove that you're good enough for this- not just to him, but to your father and I, too" her eyes got teary, and I could feel mine mirroring hers. "But your brother thinks it's better for you to be here, with us. He himself is insecure, because he thinks he's not ready to take care of someone else" by this time, a couple of tears escaped our eyes. "Don't mind whatever it is he told you yesterday, okay? He loves you _so much_; he just wants to protect you like this! He doesn't want you to lose what you have here, with your friends and school and that boyfriend of yours!"

I hugged her tightly, crying in her shoulder while she kept talking.

"If you go with him, you'll have to start your life all over: new people, new house, new _everything_. Things like that tend to change people, for better or worse; Leon fears it will be for worse." She calmly strokes my hair, sniffing slightly. "You're our baby, our little princess. You have a great heart, made of gold; you're still so innocent! If something were to happen to you, anything to make you change that… he'll never forgive himself" she pulled away from me, looking me in the eye with fresh tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. "Please, sweetheart, _please_ stay here with us."

I sniffed, lifting my hand to wipe a tear that spilled out. "Mom, I love you so damn much, our Bella too… but not only I do want this, I _need _this; the change of scenery, of people, of _life_" I hugged her again. "If I stay here, no good changes will come to me, and I'll always be depending on you. I'm starting to feel like a burden to both you and my dad, even when you say I'm not. This is what I need for my life. This is what I feel I need to do."

"So, your heart has decided already?" she sighs sadly, nonetheless giving me a soft smile.

I nod. "I feel, in my heart, that this is the right thing to do" I smile for her to see I'm happy.

"I guess I can't stop you, can I? Really, you and Leon are so stubborn" she shakes her head, but can't stop the grin forming on her lips.

"Yeah, wonder who we got that from!" we both laughed, when we heard Leon groaning sleepily, his footsteps heard coming down the stairs.

"What's will all the noise? This is supposed to be my free day!" he finally got to the entrance of the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

I nervously took a couple of steps back, placing myself strategically behind our mother.

"Oh, don't give me that attitude, mister! I think there's _something_ you need to tell _someone_ about certain argument yesterday." my mom glared bullets at him, with hands on her hips. Really, she is sweet when you get to know her well; but when you get on her bad side, _oh you're so dead_.

"I don't understand what you're talking about…" he looked confused until his eyes landed on me, and I flinched. "… oh, _that_ argument." It was his turn to flinch, except his was a different reason.

"So? We're waiting!" _'Okay, easy there mom…'_

Leon sighed. "Okay look, about yesterday… I didn't mean any of it, alright? I didn't want to upset you that much. I was a jerk, I know that now. So what I'm trying to say here is… I'm sorry, Speedy." He said, looking me in the eye with guilt reflected in his face. _'Wow, I wonder what Sandy did to make him feel that guilty… he even used my nickname this time!'_

"I guess that's okay… I mean, I was at fault, too. I annoyed you, you got to your limit, and you snapped right then, so _I _am sorry too." I couldn't keep eye contact with him anymore, so I decided to look down to my blue Yoshi slippers.

He sighed. "Look at me, Ali." I drift my eyes upwards, still not looking directly at his face. "Now, come here." I didn't move. "Alice, come here." I still refused to go. He sighed. "Speedy, please come over here with me." I lost the fear and went over to him, getting a somewhat awkward hug. "Don't blame yourself, okay? Let's say it was our fault, from the both of us, you okay with that?" I just nodded. "Good. Now go to your bathroom, wash your face…" he pulled away from me and grinned at me. "And start packing your winter clothing, cause' we're going to Burgess!"

_And that moment I knew, my life was really __**changing for the better.**_

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**So there you have it! I know, it's boring and maybe a bit too feely, and the end lacks something, but don't worry, things will get a bit more interesting next chapter! n.n ... just a bit, so don't expect much. And yeah, no line-breaks in this one, because of the shortness and I felt the line wasn't needed for this. Still, I hope you enjoyed and I'll read you guys in the next chapter! (or in the reviews, if you'd like to leave some).**

**~Miyu~ who _really_ should change her name already x.x **


	4. Chapter 4

**... ... ... ... ... please don't kill me ;-; I know, it's been _waaaaaay_ too long since I've last updated this story... but I just... heck, one thing is to be depressed and procrastinate while in that state, but depression _and_ stress?! That's just not good for me x.x sooooo things have been going on in my life, here... my mother got threatened by a neighbor over something she didn't do... it would've been easy to ignore or to move on from that, if it wasn't because that whole family is quite problematic and aggressive... my father is being an idiot, not helping at all... my mother is considering getting back to her old workplace so we can save money and move away, then finally for them to get a divorce and for us both to get a fresh start somewhere else, with better people around! I've been considering starting a Youtube channel to do random Vlogs and hopefully gaming too!... but I'm too shy and I still don't really know if my digital camera will work well (and I don't know s*** about video editing, so that's another problem...)... and well... I guess that's all I had to talk about, and to mention all of that stuff had me on a long writer's block (like... I had some of this ideas, but didn't know how to put them together, y'know what I mean?). And don't worry, I'll try to update faster now that I know where this is going! I'll probably edit the first chapter and remove some stuff from there... oh! I'll probably delete a story I made in Spanish for Shaman King. I lost complete inspiration for that one, but there's another one I'm really willing to continue onwards with. Don't worry for this story! I love Rise of The Guardians, and I still have lots of ideas for future chapters (it's the immediate ones that I'm having trouble with).**

**And to a certain someone who reads the story and gave me some tips (sorry, don't really remember your name and I can't look it up while I'm typing this!), ... maybe I could use some more help? I'm trying not to make Alice a Mary Sue, but I really don't know where I'm doing it wrong! It's too early in the story to take the MS test, and it's not like I'm giving her any special traits (other than being a teen who believes in the Guardians, and weird honey-brown/baby-blue eyes...). So really, I would like some help with that.**

**But anyway, let's go on with the show! Wow this was a little too long, huh?**

**~Miyu~... who'll now be known as AmiThePanda! (don't ask, I can't really explain that, lol).**

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**Chapter 4: "White pearls and golden sand"**

"…_and start packing your winter clothing, 'cause we're going to Burgess!"_

To say I was euphoric is an understatement.

I smiled brightly at Leon, hugged him and ran upstairs to my room. I started packing my clothes and some important things I would never leave without (such as my sketchbook and my favorite books).

An hour or two later, I was done. I plopped down on my bed and reached for my phone. _'Kayla and Nath need to know about this!' _I thought happily.

I decided to call Kayla first and waited for her to pick up.

"_Hey, Ali! What's up?"_

"Kay, you won't believe what just happened!"

"_Wow, you sound so happy! Tell me, tell me!" she said, sounding as excited to know as I was to tell her._

"I'm going with Leon to Burgess!" Kayla squealed from her end.

"_That's great Alice, congrats!"_

"Thanks!" by this point I was smiling so much, my cheeks were starting to hurt. "Hey, think we could spend some time together later today? You, me and Claire!"

"_Yeah, sounds good! My place? I'll just order a pizza and get my room ready for an Avengers movie marathon!"_ she knows me so damn well!

"Yes! Just let me call Claire and then I'll meet you girls there. Is it okay in two hours? I need to start packing some of my stuff"

"_In two hours it shall be! See ya' later, Ali!"_

"Later, Potassium!" I laughed when I heard her groan.

"_Ugh, you know I hate that joke… that's it, no extra cheese for you!"_ she hung up and I followed suit. _'Well, let's get this over with!'_

An hour later, I was done with packing everything I needed. I didn't need too much, only personal things and some clothes; as far as I know, Burgess is a really cold place the whole year, so I think I'll have to buy more winter coats when we get settled there.

I plopped down on my bed and picked up my phone. I sent a text to Claire telling her everything and to meet up with us at Kayla's place. Once I got her reply, I just stared at my phone with no idea of what else to do… _'That's right, I need to tell Nath! Hopefully, he'll be happy for me!' _I smiled at the thought and dialed his number.

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

… "_Hello?"_ I heard his voice and suddenly I got a little nervous.

"Hey, Nath!"

"_O-oh, hey Alice"_ he sounds weird, guess he didn't expect any calls. Maybe I called in a bad time?

"I've got great news! But… sorry, is this a bad time?"

"_N-no, not at all! So, what's the good news, huh?"_

"You won't believe this but… I'm going to Burgess with my brother and his band!"

He sighed. _"Really? That's great, Al!" he paused. "Hey, uh, when are you guys leaving?"_

"Tomorrow's my last day here, why do you ask?"

"_Just wondering… um, do you think we could meet up tomorrow? There's something really important I need to tell you…"_

"Ooookay…" was my reply. He's acting really strange. "Sure, but why don't you just tell me now?"

"_I would prefer to see you in person, it's really, _really_, important. Let's meet up at 12. I'll wait for you at the station in front of the school, and then we can go anywhere you want!"_

"Sounds great!" I smiled. "See you tomorrow!"

"_Yeah. Bye!"_ he hung up.

I sighed. "Well, that was… interesting…" I looked up from my phone to see Leon in front of me, grinning like a creep. "_HOLY S-!_" I fell backwards and off my bed; meanwhile Leon was laughing his ass off. "Hey, that wasn't funny!"

"Maybe not to you, but it was for _me_!" he wiped some tears from his eyes trying to calm himself down to just a chuckle. "I just wanted to talk to you about how things are going to work when we get there, okay?"

"Ah, right!" I sat back in my bed and my brother joined me. "Well, I'm listening"

"Okay, where to start? First of all…" And thus my brother went on about my future responsibilities, and how I would have to take care of myself whenever he's busy… well, you get the idea. Let's move on, shall we?

"Okay, I get it! No need to keep going" I stopped him from continuing his ramble.

"And now that _that_'s out of the way…" he suddenly became serious. "Are you absolutely sure you're ready for this? Burgess is a _long_ distance away from here."

"I told you already that I am!" I smiled. "Of course, when the moment comes I'll tear up a little bit, and mom will too, but other than that I'm sure I'll be alright!" we both laugh at the mental picture.

"Well, I've gotta go to meet up with the rest. Tell them you're tagging along and get everything else settled." he got up from the bed and turned around to mess up my hair. "Later, Speedy."

"Later, Tin Man" I grinned when he just shook his head.

"Whatever…" he smiled back and got out of my room.

After getting dressed and putting on my green hoodie, I started my walk to Kayla's house. It wasn't too far from mine, so I got there a bit early. Kay answered the door.

"Hey, Al! Come in, Claire isn't here yet. But at least the pizza is!" she told me, already taking a bite from her own slice. "Get comfortable and I'll just get you the usual" she smiled and went to the kitchen while I settled myself in her room. She got everything ready, filling up the whole room with pillows and a couple of bean bags to get comfy… and possibly start another brutal pillow fight.

'_Brutal indeed… damn, I still have a couple of bruises from her throws…'_

Her TV was already set up in the Menu for _Captain America: The First Avenger_. Honestly I'm not such a big fan of that movie; but for this to be a proper Avengers marathon, we should better start from the very beginning, right?

I heard footsteps getting closer and looked up to see Kayla with my pizza slices- one pepperoni and one Hawaiian, as usual- and Claire trailing right behind her.

"Hey Alice!" she smiled brightly at me. "I heard the news; it's so great you're coming to Burgess with us!" she hugged me and settled in the bean bag next to mine.

"Thanks!" I smiled back and then looked up to see Kayla lying down on her bed, only her head propped up by her elbows. "Sooo, let's get this marathon started!" she grinned and pressed Play.

And so, we spent the rest of the day watching the movies. We laughed, our eyes got teary in certain scenes… and of course, we occasionally threw pillows at each other. Oh! And also let's not forget my fangirling moments with Loki… please don't judge me.

In the end, we only got to the end of _Thor 2: The Dark World_ before it started getting dark outside.

"Hey Kay, I think I should get going" I got up and went to give her a hug.

"Alrighty then. Be careful, okay? I won't be there in Burgess to watch your back!" we smiled at each other for a moment and finally she let go.

"And I'll see you soon, Claire!" I smiled at her and she waved sleepily at me.

When I got out I set my sights on getting back home… well, not exactly _home_; first, I needed to see someone.

Soon, I found myself back at my usual spot in the woods. I sat down in my favorite spot and waited for him to get here.

'_I'm sure he won't take too long'_ as if on cue to my thoughts, golden sand started swirling and moving from above. _'He's here!'_ I smiled brightly at the sand that was taking different shapes above and around me.

A giant eagle made out of golden sand landed in front of me and on its back, there was…

"Sandy!" he looked up and waved, smiling lazily at me. There seemed to be someone else with him this time, though.

"Oh, you must be Alice! I've heard so much about you!" aaaaand that 'someone else' literally _flew_ right towards me and gave me a rib-crushing hug. "You're even more adorable in person!"

Before I ran out of air, a smaller version of the lady-bird in front of me chimed in (most likely telling her to stop, seeing how my face was turning blue). Even Sandy gave her a stern look and she backed a bit.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, I couldn't control myself!" she laughed nervously, ruffling her feathers at the back of her head. "I'm Toothiana, by the way; but just call me Tooth!"

Tooth… Tooth… oh my god.

"Y-you're... you are…" my jaw dropped. "You're the _Tooth Fairy?!_"

She smiled. "Yes, I am! It's nice to meet you, Alice!" a squeak next to her brought me back to Earth. "Oh! And this is Baby Tooth!"

"Well, it's nice to meet you both!" I smiled brightly and she suddenly was all over me again.

"Aw~ your smile is even more adorable in person!" she pried my mouth open to take a closer look at my teeth. "You floss really well! If you brush your teeth at least twice a day, _everyday_, they'll be so white like freshly fallen snow!"

Sandy finally stepped in and gave her a sign to stop.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I did that again!" she smiled sheepishly. "Your smile is so beautiful!"

I blushed a little at the compliment. _'The Tooth Fairy herself said my smile is beautiful… this is the _best day ever!_'_

For at least an hour we spent the time getting to know each other better. She was so nice and motherly, and Sandy again was silent yet kept the conversation as comfortable as it could be. Baby Tooth took a liking to me as well! … Of course, I already had to go back home, or else my mother would've panicked.

I got to my room and put on my pajamas. And finally, after such a long and eventful day, I lied down on my bed (Bella taking a spot near my feet) and drifted off as Sandy did his magic.

* * *

**I _do_ feel like that ending is missing something, but I had you people waiting for too long and I wasn't feeling good with myself because of it. But still, thanks to everyone who read! Please leave a Review (don't roast me, just be gentle okay?). Please follow if you want to know when I (miraculously) update this story! Have a good day everyone!... and week... probably month seriously I have no idea when I'll update this again.**

**~AmiThePanda~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter... looking at the bright side, I didn't take _too_ long this time!... although this one's shorter than normal, but I jut wanted to get this part out of the way to move quickly towards the rest of the story! It's like... I have this main ideas, things that I want to see happen in the story... but I just don't really have an idea on how to introduce them or how to connect them! You know what I mean?... I hope you do, 'cause even I get confused by this x.x I had to write this even when I didn't have much of a plan for a longer chapter, I'm sorry for that!**

**There's a new PoV this time around! (oohhhh, wonder who could that be? *slight sarcasm* yeah, I think I made it a bit obvious, but I couldn't help it!**

**And thanks to everyone who's been following this story! For future chapters I hope I'll know how things will go on and then chapters will be back to over 1,000 words (sinceriously, but I won't make them _too_ long, don't worry).**

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**Chapter 5: Heartbreak**

I woke up full of energy and anticipation to finish any preparations for tomorrow's trip. This was my last day here and I would get to spend it with Nath!

I finished eating my breakfast and started getting ready for my date. I just put on something simple (and let's not forget my green hoodie) and made my way to our meeting place.

I arrived with some minutes to spare, so I started playing _Amazing Brick_ on my phone while listening to a song by Taylor Davis. It wasn't until I beat my own record and took off one of my earbuds, that I heard bits and pieces of a conversation in the phone cabin nearby.

"… love you…"

"I… you more…"

One of them sounded too familiar… I moved closer…

"Really? … there's no… else?"

"… are the only one I love"

'_Oh no…' _I slammed open the door to see… Nathaniel making out with one of the popular girls.

"Alice! I- I can explain-"

"Explain _what_? Was this what you wanted to tell me?! That you were cheating on me with _Brittany_?!" tears were threatening to spill out of my eyes.

"No that's not what I-"

"Or maybe it wasn't really cheating, was it?! You were with her from the very beginning and only started dating me out of pity… is that it?!"

"I…" Nathaniel was at a loss, so Brittany answered for him.

"That's right, you freak! What, did you really think he would chose _you_ over someone like _me_? Don't make me laugh!" she giggled. "You're more of an idiot than I thought you were!"

"Al-" he reached a hand out to me, but I just shrugged it off.

"Shut up and don't touch me!" I sobbed, looking at him with as much hurt and anger as humanly possible. "Don't you _ever_ speak to me again!" I turned to walk away, but a hand around my wrist stopped me.

"No, Alice! Please just listen-" I turned around quickly and kneed him (you know where…). He fell to his knees, holding the area on pain and letting out a silent cry.

"And be thankful it was just _me_; if my brother was here, you would've been sent to the hospital!" I took off running to my usual spot in the woods.

I sat under a tree, freely crying and sobbing now that there was no one nearby. I sat there for hours until dusk arrived. I stood up and tried to clean my face as best as I could and made my way back home.

* * *

"I'm back!" I yelled to make sure my mother heard me from the kitchen.

"Oh, honey! Just in time, I'm almost done with dinner"

"I'll be in my room!"

I went up the stairs and locked myself in my room.

I turned on my laptop and played some music through the speakers to calm myself down. After some songs, _You're gonna go far, kid_ came up and I sang out loud. After some verses, a knock came from my door.

"Hey Speedy, can I come in?"

"Sure!" I lowered the volume and opened the door, quickly plastering a smile in my face. "Do you need anything?"

"No I don't…" he stared suspiciously at me. "but I think you do"

"Huh?"

"You have trails of tears on your face, you're playing songs at a high volume and you're singing along to The Offspring. Of course there's something wrong with you" he sighed. "What did that bastard do?"

"Nothing, really…" I began and trailed off at his skeptical look. I sighed. "He didn't like me. He was dating someone else…"

"That little son of a b-"

"But it's okay now! I mean… we're going to Burgess tomorrow morning… and I got the opportunity to hit him so I guess that made me feel a little better"

He looked curious. "Hit him? Where did you hit him?"

"A knee to the arrow"

"Ouch! At least I taught you well" he grinned and I smiled back. "After dinner I suggest you go to sleep; tomorrow's a long day and we have to get up early"

"I know, and I will" I smiled. "And thanks for making me laugh a bit" I wanted to say more, but a distant 'meow' from Bella stopped me.

"Well, gotta go see what she wants now" he ruffled my hair and walked down the hall "What now, you sexy cat?" I heard a 'meow' for reply and laughed.

After eating dinner, I went back to my room and waited for Sandy to do his thing. Once I saw the golden sand get in, I closed my eyes and slowly fell asleep.

* * *

**(? PoV)**

Dark.

Everything was dark, yet if you kept staring, it only seemed to get darker.

Of course, this was something I had grown accustomed to.

Bright pairs of eyes attentively watching me, waiting for me to do anything… to give them a reason to get closer. That doesn't intimidate me anymore. Whatever fear I may've had a few years ago has melted away until all that was left was _anger_; thirst for _revenge_…

I made a simple movement with my hands and watched as the closest minion dissipated and moved around my hand, _finally_ under my full control. I couldn't stop the grin that took over my features.

"Well, _old friend…_ it seems as if we will meet again sooner than you think…" I started laughing, the sound accompanied by several neighs and shrieks from the shadows.

Oh yes… revenge will come soon.

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**Yup, wonder who could it be, huh? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (TOO DAMN SHORT, I'M MAD AT MYSELF FOR THIS!). Please leave a nice review, maybe an idea; and also please follow this story for further updates (all should go smoothly, I already started on the next chapter!).**

**~AmiThePanda (coughcough-procrastinator-drowning-in-the-loneliness-that-valentine's-day-brings-coughcough) **


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